Advanced Placement U.S. History

How to know if AP U.S. History is right for you:
•	You enjoy intelligent discussions with your classmates
•	You are interested in history
•	You don't mind reading 20-30 pages a night
•	You always look for the "deeper meanings" and "connections" in things

So, what do I have to do to get into the class?
•	Tell your councilor you want to sign up.
•	Complete the assignments on this page. The following assignments are designed to prepare you for the course. You will be asked to:
o	Complete and turn in the parent & teacher recommendation form
o	Read the two primary source documents and write an essay about them
o	study for a geography quiz that will be given the second day of class. 

Assignments that must be completed and turned in on the first day of school

Geography quiz on the second day of class.
On a map of the United States, be able to locate the 50 states, the 50 most populous cities (not necessarily the state capitals!) and important geographical features such as major rivers, lakes, mountain ranges. These are things you should be familiar with after 8th grade US history, C&I, and regular 11th grade US history. Nonetheless, you should probably study for this quiz.

This information is available in the library in any encyclopedia or world almanac. see the class website for more info and a practice quiz.
http://www.geocities.com/teacher_soares/apush_sw_geo_quiz.html

Essay assignment:

Read the two primary source documents by Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda and Bartolomé de las Casas. 

Write an essay in which you compare and contrast the attitudes and prejudices of these two Spanish authors towards Native Americans. Use your best writing skills. The 5-paragraph format you learned in English class is recommended but you aren’t limited to only writing five paragraphs. Students are *strongly* encouraged to research the lives of Sepúlveda and las Casas, the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 1500’s, and any other topic that would seem useful to their essay. Students should list their sources in a bibliography at the end of their paper.

Evaluation: students will be graded on three categories: 
	- how well they incorporate the ideas from the reading into their essay, 
	- the quality of their writing skills, 
	- and the depth of their critical thinking skills.

Warning: there is a chance that there will be too many students enrolled in AP US next year. If that turns out to be the case, your councilors and I will have to decide who will be in this class. We will base our decision on your parent & teacher recommendation form and the quality of this essay.

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda
from: The Second Democrates
1547
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Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda was an outstanding example of the "Renaissance man." A Spaniard who studied in the cradle of the Renaissance, Itay, he achieved fame as a theologian, philosopher, historian, and astronomer. When Emperor Charles V convened a debate in Valladolid, Spain, in 1550-1551 to determine the future of Spain's relationship with the American aborigines, he naturally turned to Sepulveda as one of the most learned men in his realm. As a student of Aristotle, Sepulveda relied heavily on the classical distinction between "civilized" Greeks and "barbarians." The selection that follows is not a transcript of the debate at Valladolid but an excerpt from Sepulveda's book The Second Democrates, published in 1547, in which he set forth his basic arguments. 

Things to Think About: What differences does Sepulveda emphasize between Europeans (especially Spaniards) and the Indians, and on what grounds does he assert the superiority of European culture? 
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The Spanish have a perfect right to rule these barbarians of the New World and the adjacent islands, who in prudence, skill, virtues, and humanity are as inferior to the Spanish as children to adults, or women to men, for there exists between the two as great a difference as between savage and cruel races and the most merciful, … and, I might even say, between apes and men. 
You surely do not expect me to recall at length the prudence and talents of the Spanish... And what can I say of the gentleness and humanity of our people, who, even in battle, after having gained the victory, put forth their greatest effort and care to save the greatest possible number of the conquered and to protect them from the cruelty of their allies? 
Compare, then, these gifts of prudence, talent, magnanimity, temperance, humanity, and religion with those possessed by these half-men (homunculi), in whom you will barely find the vestiges of humanity, who not only do not possess any learning at all, but are not even literate or in possession of any monument to their history except for some obscure and vague reminiscences of several things put down in various paintings; nor do they have written laws, but barbarian institutions and customs. Well, then, if we are dealing with virtue, what temperance or mercy can you expect from men who are committed to all types of intemperance and base frivolity, and eat human flesh? And do not believe that before the arrival of the Christians they lived in that pacific kingdom of Saturn which the poets have invented; for, on the contrary, they waged continual and ferocious war upon one another with such fierceness that they did not consider a victory at all worthwhile unless they sated their monstrous hunger with the flesh of their enemies. . . . Furthermore these Indians were otherwise so cowardly and timid that they could barely endure the presence of our soldiers, and many times thousands upon thousands of them scattered in flight like women before Spaniards so few that they did not even number one hundred... 
Although some of them show a certain ingenuity for various works of artisanship; this is no proof of human cleverness, for we can observe animals, birds, and spiders making certain structures which no human accomplishment can competently imitate. And as for the way of life of the inhabitants of New Spain and the province of Mexico, I have already said that these people are considered the most civilized of all, and they themselves take pride in their public institutions, because they have cities erected in a rational manner and kings who are not hereditary but elected by popular vote, and among themselves they carry on commercial activities in the manner of civilized peoples. 
But see how they deceive themselves, and how much I dissent from such an opinion, seeing, on the contrary, in these very institutions a proof of the crudity, the barbarity, and the natural slavery of these people; for having houses and some rational way of life and some sort of commerce is a thing which the necessities of nature itself induce, and only serves to prove that they are not bears or monkeys and are not totally lacking in reason. But on the other hand, they have established their nation in such a way that no one possesses anything individually, neither a house nor a field, which he can leave to his heirs in his will, for everything belongs to their masters whom, with improper nomenclature, they call kings, and by whose whims they live, more than by their own, ready to do the bidding and desire of these rulers and possessing no liberty. And the fulfillment of all this, not under the pressure of arms but in a voluntary and spontaneous way, is a definite sign of the servile and base soul of these barbarians. 
They have distributed the land in such a way that they themselves cultivate the royal and public holdings, one part belonging to the king, another to public feasts and sacrifices, with only a third reserved for their own advantage, and all this is done in such a way that they live as employees of the king, paying, thanks to him, exceedingly high taxes... And if this type of servile and barbarous nation had not been to their liking and nature, it would have been easy for them, as it was not a hereditary monarchy, to take advantage of the death of a king in order to obtain a freer state and one more favorable to their interests; by not doing so, they have stated quite clearly that they have been born to slavery and not to civic and liberal life. Therefore, if you wish to reduce them, I do nor say to our domination, but to a servitude a little less harsh, it will not be difficult for them to change their masters, and instead of the ones they had, who were barbarous and impious and inhuman, to accept the Christians, cultivators of human virtues and the true faith... 

Bartolomé de las Casas
from: Thirty Very Judicial Propositions
1552
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The Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas was Sepúlveda’s great antagonist in the debates of 1550-1551 at Valladolid. As a young man, Las Casas had sailed with one of the first Spanish expeditions to the West Indies in 1502. A humane, sensitive priest, he was soon repelled by his countrymen's treatment of the native peoples of the New World. He eventually became Bishop of Guatemala and devoted himself to reforming Spanish colonial policies— for which he was recognized as the ''protector of the Indians." His vivid and polemical account The Destruction of the Indies did much to spread the "Black Legend" of Spain’s brutal behavior in the New World— a  legend not without substance, and eagerly exploited by the rival English. of

Things to Think About: What How are las Casas’ views of the Indians different from those of  Sepúlveda’s? What ideas do the two debaters share? 
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Now if we shall have shown that among our Indians of the western and southern shores (granting that we call them barbarians and that they are barbarians) there are important kingdoms, large numbers of people who live settled lives in a society, great cities, kings, judges and laws, persons who engage in commerce, buying, selling, lending, and the other contracts of the law of nations, will it not stand proved that the Reverend Doctor Sepulveda has spoken wrongly and viciously against peoples like these, either out of malice or ignorance of Aristotle's teaching, and, therefore, has falsely and perhaps irreparably slandered them before the entire world? From the fact that the Indians are barbarians it does not necessarily follow that they are incapable of government and have to be ruled by others, except to be taught about the Catholic faith and to be admitted to the holy sacraments. They are not ignorant, inhuman, or bestial. Rather, long before they had heard the word Spaniard they had properly organized states, wisely ordered by excellent laws, religion, and custom. They cultivated friendship and, bound together in common fellowship, lived in populous cities in which they wisely administered the affairs of both peace and war justly and equitably, truly governed by laws that at very many points surpass ours, and could have won the admiration of the sages of Athens... 
Now if they are to be subjugated by war because they are ignorant of polished literature… I would like to hear Sepulveda, in his cleverness, answer this question: Does he think that the war of the Romans against the Spanish was justified in order to free them from barbarism? And this question also: Did the Spanish wage an unjust war when they vigorously defended themselves against them? 
Next, I call the Spaniards who plunder that unhappy people torturers. Do you think that the Romans, once they had subjugated the wild and barbaric peoples of Spain, could with secure right divide all of you among themselves, handing over so many head of both males and females as allotments to individuals? And do you then conclude that the Romans could have stripped your rulers of their authority and consigned all of you, after you had been deprived of your liberty, to wretched labors, especially in searching for gold and silver lodes and mining and refining the metals?...  For God's sake and man's faith in him, is this the way to impose the yoke of Christ on Christian men? Is this the way to remove wild barbarism from the minds of barbarians? Is it not, rather, to act like thieves, cut-throats, and cruel plunderers and to drive the gentlest of people headlong into despair? The Indian race is not that barbaric, nor are they dull witted or stupid, but they are easy to teach and very talented in learning all the liberal arts, and very ready to accept, honor, and observe the Christian religion and correct their sins (as experience has taught) once priests have introduced them to the sacred mysteries and taught them the word of God. They have been endowed with excellent conduct, and before the coming of the Spaniards, as we have said, they had political states that were well founded on beneficial laws. 
Furthermore, they are so skilled in every mechanical art that with every right they should be set ahead of all the nations of the known world on this score, so very beautiful in their skill and artistry are the things this people produces in the grace of its architecture, its painting, and its needlework. But Sepulveda despises these mechanical arts, as if these things do not reflect inventiveness, ingenuity, industry, and right reason. For a mechanical art is an operative habit of the intellect that is usually defined as "the right way to make things, directing the acts of the reason, through which the artisan proceeds in orderly fashion, easily, and unerringly in the very act of reason." So these men are not stupid, Reverend Doctor. Their skillfully fashioned work,; of superior refinement awaken the admiration of all nations, because works proclaim a man's talent, for, as the poet says, the work commends the craftsman. Also, Prosper [of Aquitaine] says: "See, the maker is proclaimed by the wonderful signs of his works and the effects, too, sing of their author." 
In the liberal arts that they have been taught up to now, such as grammar and logic, they are remarkably adept. With every kind of music they charm the ears of their audience with wonderful sweetness. They write skillfully and quite elegantly, so that most often we are at a loss to know whether the characters are handwritten or printed... 
The Indians are our brothers, and Christ has given his life for them. Why, then, do we persecute them with such inhuman savagery when they do not deserve such treatment? The past, because it cannot be undone, must be attributed to our weakness, provided that what has been taken unjustly is restored. 
Finally, let all savagery and apparatus of war, which are better suited to Moslems than Christians, be done away with. Let upright heralds be sent to proclaim Jesus Christ in their way of life and to convey the attitudes of Peter and Paul. [The Indians] will embrace the teaching of the gospel, as I well know, for they are not stupid or barbarous but have a native sincerity and are simple, moderate, and meek, and, finally, such that I do not know whether there is any people readier to receive the gospel. Once they have embraced it, it is marvelous with what piety, eagerness, faith, and charity they obey Christ's precepts and venerate the sacraments. For they are docile and clever, and in their diligence and gifts of nature, they excel most peoples of the known world… 

Both articles from: 
Kennedy, David M.; Bailey Thomas, The American Spirit. 10th ed. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002.

Advanced Placement  U.S. History
Student Information

Name ______________________________				Grade Level in 2007-8_____________

email address or home phone ____________				Social Studies teacher this year ______

Reason for taking APUSH_________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Who is your favorite U.S. president? and why __________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

complete the following statement by circling one response-- In general, I:

A) do better in Social Studies than in English		B) do better in English than Social Studies

C) am equally successful in both English and Social Studies.

Advanced Placement  U.S. History
Student Information

Name ______________________________				Grade Level in 2007-8_____________

email address or home phone ____________				Social Studies teacher this year ______

Reason for taking APUSH_________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Who is your favorite U.S. president? and why __________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

complete the following statement by circling one response-- In general, I:

A) do better in Social Studies than in English		B) do better in English than Social Studies

C) am equally successful in both English and Social Studies.

June 5, 2007

Dear Parents and Guardians of Potential Advanced Placement Students:

	Your student has expressed an interest in taking an AP U.S. history class during the 2007-8 school year. The College Board Advanced Placement program has allows students to receive college credit during their junior and senior year of high school. We often receive questions as to what is involved in taking an Advanced Placement course. 

Course configuration: at Arroyo, all students will take regular U.S. history class. Your student has chosen to take an additional semester of Advanced Placement US history as an elective class. If a student successfully completes the AP class and passes the national, standardized AP exam offered every May, he will receive college credit for US history at most four year universities.

Reasons students should take AP courses: The obvious advantage to students going to California state institutions (such as U.C. and C.S.U. schools) is that it eliminates the need to take overcrowded courses and leaves students room to take more courses in their chosen major. The other advantage is that students are exposed to the rigorous requirements of university level work-- which usually comes as a shock to entering college freshmen.
	
Work Load: Advance Placement are college level courses. They require a heavier load of reading as well as more frequent writing assignments than regular high school classes. AP students can expect to do 30-50 pages of reading a week. In addition, before class starts, students must read a two historical documents and write a sample essay about them. In addition, students must also learn the geography of the US. A test on this material will be given the second day of class. 
Research skills are essential and it is helpful if your child has Internet access.. Students can access the internet at the Arroyo school library and at the San Lorenzo and San Leandro public libraries. It is strongly recommended that all students have a public library card since the Arroyo library may not have resources this class will require
There is a class website where students can access lecture notes and review materials at http://www.geocities.com/teacher_soares/

Course expectations: College courses don’t rely on answering questions on worksheets. AP students will be expected to maintain ongoing notes on all chapters and lecture material as well as frequent research requirements. The course is graded on three broad categories: written work, oral participation, and test taking. Each category is roughly 1/3 of the student’s grade. These skills will be taught in class. However, if a student doesn’t like to read, dreads essays or is unwilling to speak up in class they are not likely to be successful. If you know in advance that your student will have a prolonged absence it would probably be better not to take this course. Time commitments such as jobs and athletics should be prioritized before taking this class. 

	If you have any questions or concerns about this course, please contact Ms. Soares at 317-4013 or via email at jsoares@slzusd.k12.ca.us

Sincerely,
Ms. Jodi Soares, 
teacher of AP US history and
Social Studies Department Chair, Arroyo H.S. 

AP US History
Recommendation Form

Student’s Name ___________________________

Dear Teachers: This student has signed up to take AP US History next year. In the class students will work on developing college‑level reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. We are looking for students who have a strong interest in history, the motivation to work hard, and a willingness to share ideas with others. 

Please evaluate this student on the following categories. You can use the back side of this paper if you wish to give more detailed information about this student.

History:
_____________________	_______	_________________	__________________________	
Previous history class	Grade received	Teacher’s name	Teacher’s signature	

Student qualities	Strong recommendation	Moderate recommendation	Recommend with reservation	No recommendation
	Not observed	
Hard working	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Love of history	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Willingness to share ideas in class	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Academic skills	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	

English:
_____________________	_______	_________________	__________________________	
Previous English class	Grade received	Teacher’s name	Teacher’s signature	

Student qualities	Strong recommendation	Moderate recommendation	Recommend with reservation	No recommendation
	Not observed	
Hard working	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Good reading & writing skills	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Willingness to share ideas in class	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Academic skills	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	

Dear Parents and Guardians: This student has signed up to take AP US History next year. In the class students will work on college-level reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. We are looking for students who have a strong interest in history, the motivation to work hard, and a willingness to share ideas with others. Please 
You can use the back side of this paper if you wish to give more detailed information about this student.

Student qualities	Strong recommendation	Moderate recommendation	Recommend with reservation	No recommendation
	Not observed	
Hard working	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Love of history	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Organization skills, ability to complete tasks	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Uses time wisely	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	
Openness to new ideas, flexibility	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	[  ]	

Have you read the letter to Parents and Guardians of Potential Advanced Placement Students? If so, please sign here:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________